Members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Network of Young Parliamentarians expressed their keen interest in the issue of Varosha during a visit to the Famagusta Municipality Cultural Centre in Dherynia on Friday.

The delegation, which included MPs from over 15 OSCE member states as well as the Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, was received by Famagusta Mayor Dr Simos Ioannou, municipal councillors Dinos Toumazis and Pantelis Andronikou, and Municipal Secretary Marilena Manoli. The delegation was led by MP Michalis Yiakoumi, who also serves as Vice-President of the Young Parliamentarians Network.

In a statement issued by the Municipality of Famagusta, Mayor Ioannou stressed the importance of keeping the issue of Varosha alive in the international consciousness. He noted that the restoration of the city could serve as a bridge for peace and reunification across Cyprus.

“The city must not be forgotten,” Ioannou said, underlining the symbolic and practical value of Varosha in efforts toward a peaceful solution to the Cyprus problem.

During the visit, members of the delegation were briefed on the ongoing occupation and its destructive impact on the once-thriving coastal city. According to the statement, the young MPs expressed strong interest in the humanitarian and political dimensions of the Varosha issue.